Homespun Honolulu

I have to admit to being stunned.  I shouldn’t have been since Barack’s roots are here, but I have to admit it — I was speechless (for all of about 3 seconds).

Just in case you missed it, I am more than happy to share it with everyone here!  I missed it when it first came out.  I heard about it through word-of-mouth from about three or four different sources, including the morning news, and then I had no problem spreading it around! This is kind of how the conversations went:

“Did you hear about the President’s proclamation?”

“What proclamation?” was the usual, wide-eyed response.  I think the expectation was that there was something new about the economic drama or some new find or fix for the oil spill — since those have been the buzz topics taking over the news recently.

“He said the country should recognize King Kamehameha Day!”

“No way!?!”

“Isn’t that something?” was my usual reply with a big grin.

Still don’t believe me?  Here it is, verbatim, from the White House website:

The White House, Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release

June 10, 2010

Presidential Proclamation–King Kamehameha Day

Two hundred years ago, King Kamehameha the Great brought the Hawaiian Islands together under a unified government.  His courage and leadership earned him a legacy as the “Napoleon of the Pacific,” and today his humanity is preserved in Ke Kanawai Mamalahoe, or “the Law of the Splintered Paddle.”  This law protects civilians in times of war and remains enshrined in Hawaii’s constitution as “a unique and living symbol of the State’s concern for public safety.”

On this bicentennial King Kamehameha Day, we celebrate the history and heritage of the Aloha State, which has immeasurably enriched our national life and culture.  The Hawaiian narrative is one of both profound triumph and, sadly, deep injustice.  It is the story of Native Hawaiians oppressed by crippling disease, aborted treaties, and the eventual conquest of their sovereign kingdom.  These grim milestones remind us of an unjust time in our history, as well as the many pitfalls in our Nation’s long and difficult journey to perfect itself.  Yet, through the peaks and valleys of our American story, Hawaii’s steadfast sense of community and mutual support shows the progress that results when we are united in a spirit of limitless possibility.

In the decades since their persecution, Native Hawaiians have remained resilient.  They are part of the diverse people of Hawaii who, as children of pioneers and immigrants from around the world, carry on the unique cultures and traditions of their forebears.  As Americans, we can all admire these traits, as well as the raw natural beauty of the islands themselves.  Truly, the Aloha Spirit of Hawaii echoes the American Spirit, representing the opportunities we all have to grow and learn from one another as we carry our Nation toward a brighter day.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim June 11, 2010, as King Kamehameha Day.  I call upon all Americans to celebrate the rich heritage of Hawaii with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of June, in the year of our Lord two thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.

BARACK OBAMA

I don’t need to say anything; it speaks for itself.  The only thing that comes to mind is to say to the President, “Mahalo, bruddah!”

We all know this but I count on certain people and/or organizations to be upfront and honest.  Silly me, I should know better.  Just to make this clear, I usually associate myself with the Democratic Party, if I have to choose one, so choice of political party has NOTHING to do with this.

In case you have not seen the anti-Djou commercial that talks about him signing documents to allow the outsourcing of jobs overseas, blah, blah, blah, you probably will.  Of course, maybe the stations that have run the ad will catch on that it is erroneous.   We may be gullible but not for long!

The National Review Online - The Corner called it baiting. Baiting?  Not sure if it’s baiting exactly but it’s definitely an attempted “pounding,” as The Corner phrased it.  This stupidity almost worked too.

Charles Djou was my original favorite and the commercial was enough to make me duck under the table in horror.  Sigh.  Fictitious nonsense.  Can we be any more irritating?

The most irritating part for me?  The ad was paid for by the Democratic Party.  You’ve got to be frickin’ kidding me!  The National Review ended their short blurb by saying, “The Democrats have, in short, invented a phony issue.”  Ya think?!?

Mr. Djou continues to be my choice.  I think he has more to offer us.  He himself said he is looking at that position rather than others because he thinks he can do us the most good there, rather than in some other position.  Okay.  We’ll see.  Don’t shirk your party, Charles; just don’t stop listening to us!

How’s this for an idea: how about posting some negative comments about the mayor?  Now there’s one that I can come up with lots of comments ripe for the picking!  Oh no, can’t do that, he’s a Democrat.  B.S.!  Political party nonsense!  That’s just one more reason that I do not, as a general rule, vote based on a candidate’s political party.

I vote for people, NOT for their party!  Show me intelligence, show me actual caring, and show me concern for the people in our communities, and then I’ll show you my vote.  Beware of the propaganda and always verify, verify, verify — be it good news or bad.

As I was sitting listening to Haunani Apoliona talk about OHA’s role in the community, and as I watched the keiki at one of the ‘Aha Punana Leo schools talk about ethnic food dishes (using the Hawaiian language of course) I can’t help but feel a need to share some gratitude with Oceanic Time Warner Cable and the State of Hawaii’s Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs (DCCA) for their continued support of community programming!

We almost lost it, or at least a big chunk of it, or so we thought! The franchise contract was up for renewal and one of the articles I read seemed to have a very negative view of what the outcome would be.  The concern was largely focused on the availability of channels designated for various types of community programming.

No need to worry — there’s good news!  The conditions of the newly-restored, 20-year franchise include, aside from other things, the addition of more community channels!  Instead of the six (6) we had before, there will now be fourteen (14)!  We will have even more places to accommodate the PBS, ‘Olelo, and PEG (public, educational, and governmental) channels than ever before!

Mahalo to DCCA and Time Warner Cable for staying on top of the things deemed important to the viewers!

I can’t help but be confused when I listen to and watch some of the strange things that our Country’s administrators, or potential administrators, are doing and saying.  Forgive me but I just have to shake my head at some of this stuff.

Who Makes These Rules? 

My indignation all started just before New Years when a potential walking disaster boarded an airplane on one of our airlines.  It’s safe to say that many of us were left wondering how that happened.

Howard Dicus has always seemed to have a great amount of aloha for airplanes and the airlines.  I love his ability to always put an intelligent yet un-lofty spin on things.  This article about Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab (the aforementioned walking disaster) was no exception.

I wrote this post a couple of years ago and at the end of it you can see that I really do have a great respect and admiration for our Department of Homeland Security but, who is this woman?!? Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, said,

“…putting him on the list required specific derogatory information that was not available.”

What the *BLEEP*?!?  Hello?!?  Woman, information like you received has got to be enough to issue at least a warning and put this person on the watch list, or something!  Were you on vacation in September, 2001?  One would like to think that it is a better thing to er on the side of security overkill!  Don’t ya think? We can stop Joan Rivers from boarding a plane, but not a potential loose cannon?  Oh, wait, that was a Costa Rican airport.  Sigh.

Oh well, I guess that the Department of Homeland Security will not be hiring me anytime soon — scratch that Federal job!

This next news story made me wonder.  Sarah Palin must like the camera.  Instead of running for office, she is moving from politics to the media.  I’m sure she’ll be very good at this job with Fox and I’m actually looking forward to seeing what she does with it!  I guess that takes her out of the Presidential pool.  Doesn’t it?

It was not my intention to give so much link love to Yahoo! but they just happened to have some good write-ups that helped me make my points. Thanks, Yahoo!, for the good content.

Things are equally foggy voggy here at home.  On Sunday we couldn’t really tell if we had rain clouds, vog, or a little bit of both.  It has been that way for quite a while as you will see below.

Last, and probably the least of my cloudy curiosity, I have to share this picture and warn readers that what follows is purely speculation on my part.  Hey, I’m a blogger who must have pictures and this one was worth a thousand words!  (Okay, so maybe it only gets about a hundred words.)

Keep in mind that my paranoid brain was working overtime.  Taken on the west side of O’ahu, this picture shows some rather strange behavior going on several days before the First Family even arrived in Honolulu (yes, that thought did cross my mind).  It just seemed odd to me that a helicopter would hover so low to the ground (I was sitting in my car when I took this).  Looking for hit men?  Snipers?  Escapees?  Drug dealers?  The area was curiously void of homeless people so it got me thinking that maybe they cleared the area.  I don’t even know if that was a military ‘copter, there was too much vog as you can see.  It was just weird.

Maybe I need Sudafed to uncloud my brain.

Representatives from the Obama Administration are here in Honolulu, as we speak, to hear what we have to say as they prepare a proposal for a cohesive U.S. Ocean Policy. This “listening session” is today, Tuesday, September 29th, from 1:30 to 6:30 PM at Blaisdell Center.

Kahea, the Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance, is urging everyone who is able, if time allows, to get down there and be heard about the protection and preservation of our oceans. Kahea has even gone so far as to provide child care for parents while they are making their concerns known to this Presidential committee.  Yes, this is very last minute but that is so typical of all offices of government.  The door is open and those in the know need to walk through it and share your knowledge!

While we always want to “maximize the economic and social benefits of what the ocean offers, while protecting our most fragile marine ecosystems,” it is important to remember that we cannot, and WILL NOT, tolerate anything less than doing so with aloha and not allowing our oceans to become the private property of a select few. 

Of particular interest and concern is the promotion of aquaculture and making this visiting group see that this can work!  Hawai’i, as usual these days, needs to set the example.  We have made it work and it is sustainable.  I strongly urge anyone specializing in aquaculture to hele on down to Blasidell and tell them what you know!  You can prove it!

The ocean is important to us.  It is part of our lifestyle and has always been a part of our culture.  We’re surrounded by it so we need to protect it and take a stand!  Those of you versed in the subject matter of the sea, please help them make the right choices and recommendations back in Washington!   They’re reasonable and the will listen if we make an effort to be heard.   

This Friday evening (yes, tonight) at 6:30 pm join supporters of Hawaii Bilingual (H2O) for the evening, artistic portion of their monthly vigil that occurs at the end of each month.  This is an event that began back in April and will continue to be observed “until an Official Languages Act similar to Canada’s and Ireland’s is adopted by the Hawai’i State Legislature, effectively confirming an end of the era of Hawaiian cultural genocide.”

Cultural genocide is a pretty strong term.  If you think about it, it’s not too far off the mark.  I was shocked to learn that people were not only forbidden to speak the language but were severely punished if they were caught doing so.  That is so, so wrong!  I don’t know all the horrific details and don’t want to know — it breaks my heart.  Take away a language and thus begins cultural disintegration.  Acknowledging that “cultural genocide” is a strong term, most will agree that it is quite accurate when you look at the bigger, historic picture.

I don’t understand this retarded occurrence in our history but I intend to support the movement to restore a very important part of our beloved culture — the language!  See the flyer here for a more detailed description of the event and the movement.

Tickets are $15 and are available at the door.  Pupu will be provided as people kick back and relax to the symphonic sounds of talented musicians hailing from our own Honolulu Symphony.  Come and share in the peace and aloha of this bilingual event.  If enough of us band together for this purpose, the State will eventually have to listen. 

Bring a chair, and your drink(s) of choice to:

Fresh Cafe
831 Queen Street
Kaka’ako, Honolulu

No, not the bicycle kind of bike, the motorcycle kind of bike.

Just in case Hawai’i got dropped out of the loop on this, Monday (tomorrow), June 15, 2009 is the 18th Annual Ride to Work Day!  Follow the link for more information — I was glad to see some governmental backing on this.

It would be nice if I wasn’t such a coward.  It’s not the bikes themselves — it is the drivers.  It’s not as much the drivers of the bikes as it is the other cars on the road.  I have a problem with road rage and I do tend to be very impatient — not a good M.O. for anyone on a motorcycle. We all have to be respectful of each other and of our right to use the roads.

My concern is for their safety so I have to practice what I preach!  Let’s share the road shall we, please? Especially this coming Monday, “Look Twice, Save a Life.  Motorcycles are everywhere!”  Looking forward to it!

Standing alongside a group of people supporting the perpetuation of the Hawaiian language and protecting the native culture of my home feels like such an honor to me.  It is so important and such a necessary part of our cultural preservation.  Hawai’i’s is a culture that could have very easily been lost.  We have to prevent that from ever happening!  The culture is alive and we have to keep it that way!

The best part is that we’re not alone in this and we’re not just grasping at straws.  The University of Hawaii has taken a position and sees it the same way!  I almost fell over when I saw this and, while bringing me close to tears, it reinforced my resolve to support this endeavor.  Besides, I want to learn the language too! 

What follows is an excerpt from UH News that was actually published back in March.  I had not seen it until now but I was stunned as I read it — pleasantly stunned.  Check this out and be sure to focus on those bullet points:

A new paragraph, 4-1c(3), also was added to BOR [Board of Regents] policy. It states:

“The University of Hawai‘i is committed to diversity within and among all racial and ethnic groups served by public higher education in Hawai‘i. The President, working with the Chancellors, ensures the unique commitment to Native Hawaiians is fulfilled by:

• providing positive system-wide executive support in the development, implementation, and improvement of programs and services for Native Hawaiians;
• encouraging increased representation of Native Hawaiians at the University of Hawai‘i;
• supporting full participation of Native Hawaiians in all initiatives and programs of the University;
• actively soliciting consultation from the Native Hawaiian community and specifically Pūko‘a, the system-wide council of Native Hawaiian faculty, staff and students that serves as advisory to the President;
• providing for and promoting the use of the Hawaiian language within the University of Hawai‘i system
• providing a level of support for the study of Hawaiian language, culture and history within the University of Hawai‘i system that honors, perpetuates, and strengthens those disciplines into the future;
• encouraging Native Hawaiians to practice their language, culture and other aspects of their traditional customary rights throughout all University of Hawai‘i campuses and providing Hawaiian environments and facilities for such activities; and
• addressing the education needs of Native Hawaiians, the State of Hawai‘i, and the world at large, in the areas of Hawaiian language, culture and history through outreach.”

Linda Johnsrud, UH vice president for academic planning and policy said, “By clearly articulating UH’s commitment to Native Hawaiians in the mission statement, the BOR sends a message that we take our obligation seriously, and that we recognize the critical role of higher education to the quality of life of current and future generations of Hawaiians.”

OMG!  Sending a huge “Mahalo!” to the Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii for stepping up to the plate on this.  We couldn’t have asked for any better support for the continuance of such a significant undertaking.  This is such a crucial step for the restorative nature of this project.

Damn I’m proud to be a University of Hawaii alumnae!

Now we just need to work on the State of Hawaii officials to get them to recognize the need to carry this through on their end as well.

So, to do just that, the next ILINA WAI prayer service (”a Spiritual and Artistic Vigil to End the Hawaiian Cultural Genocide”) will be at Mauna ‘Ala on Friday the 29th at 6:30 a.m.   This activity continues that same evening.

Date: Friday, May 29, 2009
Time: 6:30am - 7:30am
Location: Mauna ‘Ala - Royal Mausoleum
2261 Nu’uanu Ave
Honolulu, Hawai’i

Here is a full description and more information:

What: ILINA WAI, an H2‘Ō - Hawai‘i Bilingual sponsored “Underground” Vigil to End Hawaiian Cultural Genocide until the Official Languages Act is adopted by the Hawai‘i State Legislature

When: May 29, 2009 6:30 a.m.

Where: ILINA WAI is a movable private gathering of Hawai’i Bilingual members and their friends, beginning with a 6:30 a.m. prayer & fasting vigil at Lili’uokalani’s Tomb in the Kalākaua Crypt at Mauna ‘Ala (the Royal Mausoleum).

PŌ ILINA WAI, a classical chamber music ‘aha mele will be presented bilingually promptly at 7:30 p.m. ON THE SAME DAY, when members and their guests will gather beginning at 6:00 p.m. at 3810 Maunaloa St. in Kaimukī (where free parking is available on 15th and 16th Avenues) bringing “potluck” pūpū food and drinks to share, plus a suggested $10 musicians’ honorarium (a donation is required for admission).

Please remember that ILINA WAI vigils are private, not public, events for Hawai’i Bilingual members and their friends.

Why: ILINA WAI (“underground stream”) is a Hawai‘i Bilingual sponsored monthly “underground” spiritual and artistic vigil that began on April 30, 2009 at Mauna ‘Ala (the Royal Mausoleum) and will be observed at the end of each month until an Official Languages Act similar to Canada’s and Ireland’s is adopted by the Hawai‘i State Legislature, effectively confirming an END of the era of Hawaiian cultural genocide. Cultivation of Honolulu’s bilingual creative culture is instrumental in articulating Hawai‘i Bilingual’s vision, and since members of the Honolulu Symphony (America’s oldest symphonic society west of the Mississippi River) have endured more than three months without pay, and several members have already quit, ILINA WAI will increase Hawaiian bilingual social & cultural awareness among and beyond the Hawaiian speaking community while supporting Honolulu’s professional musical society by holding monthly bilingually presented chamber music concerts.

All ILINA WAI programs will be presented bilingually in Hawai‘ian and English languages at private gatherings at the end of each month until the State Legislature adopts the Official Languages Act, confirming an end to the era of Hawaiian cultural genocide.

For more information: http://www.causes.com/h2o

It’s worth looking into and it’s a cause worth joining.  I will urge all readers who call Hawai’i home (either ethnically and/or culturally through birth) to look into this cause, take it seriously, and take it to heart!  The culture of our home is worth preserving and the language is the first treasure we need to protect.  All else will stem from that.

Come, join in, and share the aloha!  Here’s a link to RSVP your attendance! You may need to join Facebook, if you haven’t already.  I have found Facebook to be quite useful.  A lot of Twitter members and business people seem to have found it useful as well.  It’s amazing how much you can learn about what is going on around you so it will be worth joining if only just for that.  You will also be able to follow the progress of this project as it moves forward.

UPDATE:  This evening, April 10th, KHON2 News reported that the City, Mayor Hannemann and the Honolulu Police Department, have started “Operation Chinatown.”  They have “tripled the number of police officers” and they’re “taking back the streets!”

It’s not going to be easy, we know that.  We just need to keep our eyes open and share the responsibility of keeping our home a happy place.  Our job is to let them know when we see bad things happening.  Hey, it’s a Neighborhood Watch!

Anyway, write this number down, 768-6800.  This is the Chinatown Alert Hotline — if you see something going on, call and let them know!  (If it’s an emergency, call 911 like you always would.)

Let’s help the City take back the streets!  Store that number in your cell phone — I did! Mahalo to the Mayor and the Chief of Police for taking action!

Excuse me, Mr. Mayor?  I thought we were cleaning up Honolulu’s Chinatown.  How much are we expected to pussyfoot around crap like this?  I’m sorry guys but this has got to stop!  I work only five or so blocks away from these areas and I live only about a mile away.  I walk these streets and I run passed those areas.  My friends, family and loved ones do too. 

We all, at one time or another, shop in the vicinity of this drama — during the day time.  Something happens around here when the sun goes down.  The rule of thumb that I generally follow is to not travel west of Nuuanu after sunset.  There’s already blood on the street between Fort and Smith Streets because of the raunchy clientele over there; you don’t even have to get to Nuuanu. This is ridiculous.  Sometimes you even have to get mauka of Vineyard Blvd before it’s safe.    

Since other cities have no problem giving one-way tickets to homeless people (yes, we all know about it), why don’t we do the same for the non-resident homeless and the drug pushers?  Send them back!  

Send the drug lords skanks in a separate boat, a leaking one.  Vicious?  Perhaps.  But, Chief Correa of the Honolulu Police Department is right, they have no business here!  They have no right to shed blood on our streets and we have no desire to lose any of our officers to their shenanigans either!  

This is our home and they’re tarnishing all the beauty and camaraderie that we have tried so hard to create and propagate.  I’m not making this up.  The Honolulu Advertiser stated that both the residents and the merchants are concerned that the increase in crime will “undo years of revitalization efforts.”

It’s cool when our own local newspapers and media take these things to task but it’s a little troubling when blogs and media outlets elsewhere pick this stuff up.  I am pleased that The Snitch (I like that name) was kind enough to actually accept the ownership of this particular gang element.  Thanks, Joe.

Even the kama’aina homeless are afraid.  They don’t admit to their fear but when they talk among themselves you can hear it in their voices. Hello, Mr. Mayor?  We’re supposed to be focused on making our home green, not blood red. 

With tears in my eyes I ask you why.  Why is it that I, my friends, and my neighbors have to be afraid to take the dog for a walk or to go buy a damn soda?  Tell me!